Coaddictive recovery: Early recovery issues for spouses of sex addicts

Abstract

Mental health professionals working with codependents of sex addicts in either individual or couple therapy need to understand the issues with which codependents grapple during their early recovery process. This article outlines the first four stages of code-pendent recovery, highlighting the central themes related to each stage and addressing the treatment implications. These themes resulted from lengthy interviews with 35 recovering women and are intended to foster a dialogue to help mental health practitioners better understand the clinical issues of sexual coaddicts and the recovering couple throughout their recovery process.